hormone war

【outbreak of war】

"Testosterone is increasing again Winning the hormone war and verifying"

"The battle of hormones begins again every day"

This is a passage from the song "Hormone War" by a world-famous pop idol group.

It depicts a boy who has entered the second stage of growth and is distressed even though he knows that his interest in the opposite sex is due to the secretion of "growth hormone".

If unemotional expressions are allowed, this expresses the action of greed in the "unconscious".

The desire to expand is part of the "instincts" such as "appetite, sexual desire, sleep desire, and approval desire" to expand the possibility of "seed preservation".

In particular, "sexual desire" is a powerful "instinct" that is directly linked to "seed preservation".

Hormones such as "testosterone" that appear in the lyrics build masculinity and lay the groundwork for reproductive behavior by estrous hormones.

The secretion of these hormones that accompanies greed is automatically carried out in the realm of "unconsciousness" without rising to "consciousness".

In other words, the boy's "ego" is fighting against the uncontrollable "unconsciousness" that exists within him.

If a boy loses the "hormone war", he may hurt the other person's heart or, in the worst case, become a criminal.

The boy's "ego" logically anticipates these future dangers and takes evasive action.

Let's dig a little deeper into this situation.

The "unconscious" makes decisions optimized for "species preservation" programmed into the blueprint of life, "DNA".

However, there is no room for imagining the boy's position or future as a "living individual."

Therefore, to put it bluntly, no matter what the boy's future life will be, if he seizes the opportunity for "reproductive behavior", he will put it into action. That is the basic stance of the "instinct" in the "unconscious."

"DNA" is a substance, but its essence is "information".

When looking at the history of life so far, from the primordial life to the "boy", this "DNA" has been handed down without interruption, evolving little by little.

In that way, it seems that "one life" continues to live while changing "individuals".

On the other hand, the "boy's ego" can exist only in the "individual" of the "boy".

Thus, the ego strives to make decisions that are optimal for the boy's survival, not only now, but in the future.

By and large, the "ego" is human and the "unconscious" is animal.

It may be natural considering that "unconsciousness" is generated from the "old brain" before human beings, and "ego" is generated from the "new brain" that has developed to cover the "old brain".

The battlefield of the 'hormone war' is within 'you' where both live together.

Therefore, no matter who wins, "you" may get hurt.

Is there no way for the two to coexist peacefully without fighting each other?

【peace conference】

Now suppose that the Unconscious and the Ego have a chance to discuss Peace.

"Unconscious" says.

"We have caused the 'individual' 'you' to appear for the purpose of 'preserving the species', and 'you' must follow that 'purpose'."

"Ego" says.

"I am not aware of any such purpose, nor do you own it."

"Since I have no other place to live besides this 'individual', I must 'preserve the individual'."

Both opinions seem to follow endless parallels, so the Ego proposes a compromise.

"Then, in a situation where some kind of judgment is required, the judgment results for your purpose of 'conservation of species' should match the judgment results for my purpose of 'conservation of individuals'. what about 』

"Unconscious" answers in good spirits.

"Then no problem"

It seems that a peace deal has been reached between the two.

Of course, "unconsciousness" and "ego" never talk, but the power relationship between them is "unconsciousness" > "ego" as shown in this conversation.

This is because "unconsciousness" is literally "a state without consciousness", so it has no direct contact with the "ego" and cannot be controlled. "Emotions" such as these are all in the realm of "unconsciousness", so "you" have no choice but to cater to "unconsciousness".

So, when does "conservation of species" and "conservation of individuals" coincide?

【end of war】

First of all, "species conservation" means maintaining the survival of a certain kind of life group in the future direction on the time axis.

In this blog, I have in mind the life group "human".

On the other hand, "individual preservation" means to maintain the "individual", which is a single organism as an element constituting a certain kind of life group, in the future direction on the time axis.

In this blog, I keep in mind the “individual”, which is the element of “humanity”.

It is natural for the "unconscious" to discard "individuals" that do not contribute to the "survival of mankind."

If so, any "individual" that contributes to this will not be truncated.

Then, what is the “individual” that contributes to the “survival of mankind”?

A Nobel laureate who contributes to the development of civilization? An entrepreneur who leads the economy?

Or is it a politician representing each country?

However, at this time, we do not know whether they contributed to the "extension of human existence".

It will be easy to understand if you consider the fact that research on "nuclear power" led to "nuclear threat".

What is certain is that "humanity" must adapt to changes in its external and internal environment in order to survive.

In other words, unless we adapt to changes in the external environment, such as changes in natural conditions and attacks by new bacteria, "humanity" will perish. (e.g. global climate change and virus threats)

Also, if we cannot adapt to changes in the internal environment such as the collapse of social organizations and conflicts between nations, "humanity" will die by suicide. (For example, the emergence of malicious AI and nuclear threats)

Not only "human beings" but also "living organisms" have adopted the "diversification" strategy to respond to such environmental changes.

To put it more accurately, we were able to survive by “diversifying”.

If so, "human beings" should also have survived by responding to environmental changes by "diversifying." It directly contributes to the "extension of human existence."

“Diversification” is defined as “in a qualitatively uniform population, the pattern and tendency of each individual diverges from the average and divides into many types.”

And in "humanity", "diversification" has been done at the "DNA" level.

Only you can have the "DNA" of "you". (excluding monozygotic multiples and clones)

It can be said that an individual is a product of “diversification” from birth.

However, on the other hand, "humanity" seeks "standardization".

"Society" mass-produces stereotypical "individuals" like machines with the same thinking and ability within a uniform educational system.

This is because from the viewpoint of social stability and production efficiency, we need many "homogeneous individuals" that can be switched to alternatives.

"Diversification" and "standardization" are diametrically opposed directions, and may seem contradictory at first glance, but they are not.

By including "diversified individuals" in the basic "homogeneous population of individuals", there is a possibility that "diversified individuals" will survive even if the "homogeneous population" is wiped out due to environmental changes. This is because it contributes to the "extension of the existence of mankind" by leaving

If so, if "you" can live as one of "diversified individuals" instead of a substitutable "homogeneous group of individuals", it will be a combination of "species conservation" and "individual conservation". It will satisfy both purposes.

For example, let's say you have a favorite fashion item.

According to friends, the fashion is "wacky", "tacky" and "incomprehensible".

But I can't help thinking that "you" is "fresh", "cool", and "should be".

At this point, you have two options.

One reason is that "I don't want people to think I'm lame" or "I can blend in if it's the same fashion as other people", so I choose to seal my favorite fashion and match it with my surroundings.

The other is the choice to enjoy the fashion you like because "I believe in my taste".

"You" who chose the former will enter a "homogeneous population" and its individuality will be buried.

It's the same fashion as other people, so if you just look at fashion, you can't distinguish it from others.

"You" who chose the latter is a member of "diversified individuals".

Fashion trends change from year to year, so there is a possibility that someday you will be on the cutting edge.

By 'diversified individual' I mean an 'individual' who lives a life that has to be 'you' rather than a life that could be 'someone else'.

In other words, in the day-to-day decisions that spin your life, "thinking with your own head" rather than "contracting for others" is the way to connect "your unconscious" and "your ego" in the same direction. I think that it will be directed to

With this, the "hormone wars" will come to an end.

Even so, "thinking with your own head" is very abstract.

It's a "bad" answer, considering that I've carefully considered it so far.

Actually, there is more to this story.

When "war" ends, "peace" will come.

Beyond that "peace", what did "you" want?

"You" should have seen "a happy future" ahead of "peace".

Next time, let's consider "happiness".